Springfield digs out

Springfield on Monday dug out of a snowstorm that dumped 18.5 inches and gave Springfield public school students a snow day for the first time in two years.

Springfield on Monday dug out of an early spring snowstorm that dumped 18.5 inches of snow on the city and gave Springfield public school students a snow day for the first time in two years.

The storm is believed to have set a new Springfield record for snow in a 24-hour period. Between 7 a.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, 17.4 inches of snow fell in Springfield.

Prior to this past weekend, according to the National Weather Service, Springfield’s all-time record for the most snow in a 24-hour period was 15 inches, which fell Feb. 28, 1900. The totals from Sunday’s snowfall have to be verified by the state climatologist before the weather service will officially say a new record has been set.

Clearing the roads

Main roads in Springfield were generally clear for the morning commute Monday, but many residents waited well into Monday evening before snow plows visited their subdivisions.

The interstates were another matter, with stretches of Interstates 55 and 72 still snow-packed and icy Monday morning. In some areas, traffic had slowed to a crawl. Monday afternoon, a traffic accident closed Interstate 72 eastbound near Riverton.

Springfield’s public works director, Mark Mahoney, said crews worked through the night Sunday to plow main roads.

About 100 workers — 75 from public works, eight from City Water, Light and Power and others from P.H. Broughton — were helping Springfield dig out. Mahoney said crews had been working around-the-clock since mid-day Sunday.

The storm came with challenges, he said.

With so much snow over such a long period of time, crews weren’t able to get the main roads under control until after 2 or 3 a.m., when the heavy snow let up, he said.

The severe weather forced city officials to declare a snow emergency that was expected to remain in effect today.

Building collapse

The foot and a half of snow also shut down Springfield Mass Transit District buses for the day and caused a shed to collapse at Carter Bros. Lumber in Sherman.

Kathy Seebold, a manager at Carter Brothers, said no one was inside the 30-by-50-foot shed when it collapsed about 6:45 a.m. Monday.

Nearby workers heard popping and cracking noises just before the collapse.

“The weight of the snow snapped one of the trusses. When one comes down, they all come down,” Seebold said.

Seebold expects the business tobe able to recover the lumber that was stored in the shed. She did not have a dollar estimate of the damage.

The SMTD said buses would be running this morning.

In addition to the Springfield School District shutting down for weather for the first time since the blizzard of February 2011, nearly all other local schools and colleges were closed for the day.

Snow emergency

City officials declared the snow emergency Sunday, which means no parking is allowed along streets marked with “snow emergency” signs. Vehicles parked there are considered hazards and can be towed, according to city code.

Deputy Police Chief Cliff Buscher said officers will do everything they can to contact owners to remove such vehicles before they are towed. Those towed have to pay towing and storage costs, but the $250 administrative tow fee does not apply.

Given the record amount of snow Springfield received, Mayor Mike Houston said crews did well.

“I realize that there are many people out there who are frustrated because they can’t get to where they want to go or their plans were altered, but 18.5 inches of snow is a lot of snow to handle,” he said.

The city used a new vehicle-tracking system to monitor areas that have been plowed, Houston said.

Mahoney said Monday afternoon that crews should have plowed all of the main roads, secondary and side streets at least once by the end of Monday's night shift. He added that he hoped to have snow piles cleared from downtown by Tuesday morning.

Houston said he expects the storm to cost the city between $50,000 and $75,000 by the time the cleanup effort is complete. As of 7 a.m. Monday, public works crews had already racked up $28,000 in overtime expenses.

“I think that Director Mahoney and his staff, particularly those people who are working very long shifts, have done an excellent job.”

Busy day

Springfield police said they responded to 34 accidents and 88 calls to aid motorists during the storm.

The good news, said Dan Smith, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Lincoln, is that most of the snow should be melted by the end of the week. Temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees by Wednesday and climb as high as 55 degrees by Friday.

Preliminary data shows Springfield received 17.4 inches of snow between 7 a.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, contributing to a total of 18.5 inches from the whole storm. That figure needs to be verified by the state climatologist before it is declared a record.